ART TODAY 030318 Handmaids or Scapegoats of the Apocalypse? Fabloid LA is another sublime projection from the world of Rob Sussman

ART TODAY 030318 Handmaids or Scapegoats of the Apocalypse? Fabloid LA is another sublime projection from the world of Rob Sussman

Fabloid LA
This is an old one for LA Weekly. Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I initially drew them as heralding the apocalypse, but then felt bad, like I and so many others were scapegoating them. More projection, perhaps, but it was really fun to draw.

TribeLA Magazine Acrostic Interview with Rob Sussman.6

Special: Who or what holds a special place in your heart? How does this factor into your creative process?My sons have been the center of my life for 20+ years, lighting up my existence and offering great feedback (when they can be bothered). A couple teachers at Otis and SVA, my girlfriend, my mom, lots of amazing friends. Some favorite illustrators are Drew Friedman, Chris Ware, Zoe Matthiessen, Henrik Drescher.

Time: What is your all-time favorite piece of writing/art/music you’ve created?It’s so hard to say. I’m partial to the more recent work — drawings as well as the playing cards — but also really love some of the music I recorded a decade ago under a Japanese pseudonym. Excited to see its primary inspiration, Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada), in concert later this month.

Chris Bonno wrote: Experiencing Rob’s stuff, if you find the right pieces, is like witnessing a tongue in cheek William S. Burroughs live reading, if it were drawn or painted. Look at them once and get a feeling or vibe. Look at them again and they take on a whole different tone. Did he subliminally infuse the music of Jefferson Airplane, Allee Willis or the jazz psychedelic funk of Sun Ra within his artistic shapes? That sneaky man! Don’t forget to add a hint of the comic brutality of pioneer Pop Surrealist art icon Peter Saul. Then voila! Rob Sussman art.

Did I mention I’m reminded of British cartooning and French graphic novels from Heavy Metal magazine or the drawings of John and Sean Lennon. Yep, BOTH of them and that’s a good thing in my book. Somehow, that’s all in there when I open my eyes and look at what he’s done. Did I mention it’s a joy, the art? It is. A joy.

That’s what I get when I look at his work. Take a look and see what you think.